Spraying proportioner



Nov. 6, 1945. J. w. R. STEWART 2,388,445

SPRAYING PROPORTIONER Filed Sept. 3, i942 77 &\\\\

. )NVENTOR 5.! James WE. STEWART- ATTOENEK pressure variations and Patented Nov. 6, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE James W. R. Stewart, Berkeley,

Calif., assignor to Stanley A. Hayes, Berkeley, Calif. Application September 3, 1942, Serial No. 457,117

7 1 Claim. (01. 299-84),

The invention, in general, relates to measuring devices for delivering uniform, predetermined mixtures of liquid materials" under all variations of pressure under which the devices normally would be operated. More particularly, the invention relates to equipment for spraying effective amounts of liquid insecticides, fungicides, ermicides and the like.

As is probably well known, the average user of spray devices for controlling plant pests is unskilled. The difficulties encountered by users of such devices are not so much in the selection of proper materials but, rather, in being able to effect therewith the dissemination of a constant, efficaceous amount of the materials without destroying plant life and yet obtaining the extermination of the pests. In many of the spraying devices heretofore marketed an inherent disadvantage thereof resides in the incapability of such devices, generally, to function automatically under variable pressures of a motivating and carrier fluid or liquid. In other Words, once a proportionate, effective mixture of materials has been selected for'projection from these prior devices, and the control valve of the device set for delivering such proportionate mixture, a user of the device is helpless to change the proportions under a lowering or raising of the pressure of the motivating liquid except and unless the user remains constantly alert to such manually re-sets the control valve re-currently in response to such pressure variations. Frequently, considerable damage to plant life has resulted because of the inattentiveness of users of these devices to pressure variations and a failure to re-set the control valve thereof to meet the lower or higher pressure value as the case may be. Other spray guns or devices currently marketed not only have the disadvantage just mentioned but are ineffective for proper pest control because they are dependent to a large extent upon air pressure in addition to the pressure of'a motivating liquid to effect the projection of th .spray from the t A primary object of the present improvement is to provide a device for spraying insecticides, germicides, fungicides and the like in a liquid carrier which affords automatic dissemination of predetermined, constant proportionate mixtures of spray material and carrier liquid under all normal pressure variations of the carrier liquid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the aforementioned character which is of such simple construction and mode of operation that it is capable of ready use safely by the skilledand the unskilled alike. v

A'still further object of my present invention is toprovide an improved spraying proportioner of the indicated nature which is further characterized by its capability of functioning automatically to compensate for pressure variations of the motivating liquid so as to maintain the projection of a uniform and constant proportionate mixture at all times.

Another object of the present improvement is to provide a device of the indicated nature which is further characterized by the embodiment therein of a unique, air-sealed jet afiording substantially steady and unobstructed flow of the carrier fluid at all pressures thereof without likelihood of formation of eddy currents or other disturbance to-effect the projection of a constant proportionate spray mixture under all normal conditions of use.

The foregoing and other objects are attained in a preferred embodiment of my spraying proportioner which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. It is to be understood that while I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention in the drawing, I am not to be limited to the precise embodiment shown, nor to the precise assembly depicted, as my invention, as defined in the appended claims, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure l is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of my invention.

2 Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail of the metering jet of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

- In its preferred form, the spraying proportioner of'my invention preferably comprises, in combination with a container for holding a liquid pestcontrol material, such as an insecticide, a fungicide or a germicide, a spray forming and dispensing apparatus comprising means for conportionate spray mixture of carrier liquid and pest control material is projected under all pressure heads of said carrier liquid. I

While there are numerous manually settable and controlled spray guns available on the market which operate to entrain pest control material f1'om a container thereof into a carrier liquid, many of such devices embodying Venturi jets for ejecting the material from the container, it is to be especially observed from the following description and annexed drawing that the preferred embodiment of my present invention embraces a dual purpose Venturi jet in that, in addition to its ejector action, it automatically meters the amount of pest control material to the amount of carrier liquid for efiecting the projection of constant proportionate mixtures of these materials under all pressure variations of the carrier liquid. The metering nozzle of my invention will conveniently hereinafter be referred to as the metering jet of the device. .It also is to be especially observed that the metering jet, per se, of the combination is a fixed element with respect to the remaining parts and that such metering jet alone governs the proportionate mixtures projected, rather than utilizing or depending upon air nozzles requiring manual setting and adjustment. Further, that the preferred embodiment of my invention is not dependent upon the manual setting of valves or other control means but operates automatically andin response to variationsof the pressure of the carrier liquid alone so thatat all times of use of the device there is projected an effective, constant proportionate mixture of pest control material and carrier liquid.

Inasmuch as the improved spraying proportioner of my invention has been found to be especially useful as applied to devices employed for controlling plant pests, whereby suitable insecti- 1 cides, germicides or fungicides are applied to the plant in the form of a spray, I-have depicted my present improvement in the annexed drawing in combination with a device of such character. In general, these pest control material disseminating devices include, as shown, a suitable container for holding a desired amount of the material to be sprayed, a gun mounted upon the container for conducting and projecting a carrier liquid for the material, and a nozzle forbreaking up the mixture of material and carrier liquid into a finely divided spray. While any suitable receptacle may be employed for holding the pest control material, I preferably usea glass jar I I having a threaded neck l2 for removably receiving a screw cap 3 which, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, is conveniently formed integral with an enlarged portion |4 ofan elongatedgun barrel [6. This gun barrel, has two bores, one for the carrier liquid and the other for the pest control material. The cap or closure l3 of the jar is, of course, provided with the usual port H, or atmospheric vent, for supplying the requisite pressure head above the material in the jar for the ejecting action when the carrier liquid, such as water under pressure, is conducted through and projected from the gun barrel l6.

As illustrated particularly in Figure 1 of the drawing, the enlarged portion l4 of the gun is so formed as to provide a valve casing l8 defining a substantially vertical, generally cylindrical valve chamber it which is sealed at the bottom by means of a suitable screw plug 2| and at the top preferably by means of a threaded closure sleeve 22 which includes a central bore for slidably passing a pin 23 which constitutes the stem of a valve 24 for controlling water flow through the gun. A suitable compression spring 26 is disposed in valve chamber l9 between the bottom plug 2| and the valve 24, the spring normally holding the valve closed and seated against an interior, annular shoulder 21 of the valve casing l8. Valve 24, when closed, prevents flow of water from the bore 28 of the gun barrel through chamber I9 into the bore 30 which is substantially a continuation of the bore 28, and which extends from the valve chamber l9 to the discharge end 64 of the gun barrel. The means which are preferably employed for opening valve 24 at will and to the extent desired consists of a hand lever 31 which conveniently is fulcrumed on the gun barrel by means of a pin 32 which pierces the barrel as well as a pair of spaced ears 33 formed on the lower side of the lever 3|. The lever 3| rests upon the projecting upper end of the valve stem 23, and the spring 26 is of sufiicient strength to maintain the pin or valve stem in its highest position sustaining the weight of lever 3| and maintaining the valve 24 closed.

To open the valve, it is only necessary to depress hand lever 3| which in turn depresses the pin or valve stem 23 against the action of the spring 26. It will be observed that the gun barrel I6 is so formed as to provide a hand grip portion 34 on one end thereof to facilitate the handling of the gun in use, and that the gun is readily gripped and manipulated with the palm and thumb of the hand engaging the lever 3| and the fingers partially surrounding the handle 34. Adjacent to the handle of the gun, there is provided an integral coupling 35 suitably threaded for detachably fastening the gun to a standard faucet or garden hose, not shown, and to place the gun barrel bore 28, in; communication with a source of water under pressure, also not shown.

A bore 42 substantially parallel to the bore 30, extends through the gun barrel from its discharge end 64 into the enlarged portion H of the gun, the said enlarged portion forming a cap 13 for the container H. The bore 42 turns down through the cap l3 and forms an internally threaded outlet 43 for the container 1|. A threaded tube 44 is removably screwed into the outlet 43 andprojects into the container i1 substantially to the bottom thereof. A suitable strainer 46 is secured to the lower end of the tube 44 to prevent undissolved particles ofpest control material from entering and clogging the bore 42 of the :gun. i

In accordance with my present invention, my improved spraying proporfiioner embodies a specially constructed metering jet, whichv is designated generally by the reference numeral 51 in the annexed drawing and which is fixedly located within an enlarged portion 3! of the bore 30 at its discharge end as shown. Thespecially constructed metering insures the projection automatically of a constant, effective proportion-1 ate mixture of pest control material and carrier liquid under whatever pressure of the carrier liquid obtains within the normal range thereof between 20 pounds per .square'inc'h to pounds per square inch. A's particularly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing, the jet 5] is formed with a series of axially aligned passages of circular cross-section which vary in diameter from the inlet to the outlet of the jet.. 'This series of varying diameter passages include a relatively short inlet passage 52 which merges with a relatively long central passage 53 of smaller diameter than the diameter of passage 52.) The central passage 53; inturn, merges with a relatively shortpassage-54 which is of slightly larger diameter than passage 53 and the short passage 54 merges into a passage 56 of muchlarger diameter but having a flaring inlet, as shown. See, in this connection,'Figure 2 of the-drawing. In additiontov the seriesof axially aligned passages 52 tov 56' in! clusive between the inlet and the outlet of the jet 5| ,there is also formed therein a arranged slit 5'! which extends across the passages 53 and 54 between the outlet of passage 53 and the inlet of passage 54; The slit 5'I.communicates with an, enlarged side inlet 58 formed in the jet which serves as a means of passing the pest. control material from the bore 42 into the jet through transverse slit 51.

The ratios between the diameters and the lengths of the passages-53 and 54 of the'metering jet 5| are critical, and the point atwhich the transverse $11551 bise'ctsthese two passages also is critical. To illustrate; as to theratio between the diameters of the ,two passages '53 and 54, let it be assumed that the axially formed passage 53 is made to a diameter of .0410 of an inch while passage 54 is madeto a diameter of .0437 of an inch, and that with a jet of such construction a spraying proportioner of my present improvement will effect the projection of a constant proportionate mixture, under all pressures of the carrier liquid within the normal range of .pressures thereof, of one part by volume of pest control material to 24 parts by volume of carrier liquid. If the passage 54 is made .0001 of an inch larger while the passage 53 is maintained at the same diameter as before, i. e., 0.0410 of an inch, the proportionate mixture projected will change transversely so that the spraying proportioner will project one part by volume of pest control material to 20 parts by volume of carrier liquid. On the other hand, if the passage 54 is made .0001 of an inch smaller while the passage same diameter as before, or .0410 of an inch, the projected mixture will be one part by volume of pest control material to 28 parts by volume. of. carrier liquid or water. It must be understood, with respect to the foregoing examples, that the position of the transverse slit5'l as well as its width, remains unchanged with respect to the passages 53 and 54 of the jet. To illustrate the effect of altering the lengths of the passages 53 and 54 as regards one another, let it be assumed that the passage 53 is made shorter than the passage 54. In this case, there would not be an accurate measuring of the carrier liquid for the passage 53 would not become filled completely under all varying pressures thereof, and since the ratios between pest control material and carrier liquid are governed by the complete solid stream filling of passage 53 under all pressures of the carrier liquid, the resultant projected mixtures would be continually getting out of balance. Also, in this same connection, with the passage 54 longer than the passage 53, there is provided too much surface for coating with pest control material and a consequent plugging of such passage. Naturally, as the coating of the walls of passage 54 increases, the proportions of the projected mixture changes, and the system is out of balance. Hence, passage 54 must be shorter than passage 53 to insure a balanced-jet. However, passage 54 cannot be made too short otherwise no vacuum is effected and no material would be entrained with the carrier liquid.

53 is maintained the.

As 'statedabovejthe location of the transverse slit ;51- with relation to the passages 53 and 54 also is critical, for if the position of the slit be changed the jetisthrown out of. balance, in the sense that the :projected proportionate mixture would vary with the varying pressures of the carrier liquid. If the slit, for example, were to beformed in the jet 5| so as to bisect the passage 53, rather thanbe located at the juncture of the passages 53 and 54, then passage, 53 is reduced in length and will not be filled completely with the carrier liquid as above explained. As'a result, the carrier liquid can not eifectivelyentrain the properamount of material'from the jar II. In such position of the slit 51, the proportionate mixture projected by the spraying proportioner. at, say pounds per square inch pressure of carrier liquid, might be approximately one part by volume of pest control material to approximately 24 parts by volume of water while at, say 30. pounds per square inch water pressure, the mixture may be approximately one part by volume of pest control material to approximately I 6 parts by volume of the water. Since the carrier liquid pressure might vary appreciably while the proportioner is being used, such variations in the projected mixtures might be quite harmful on plant life as well as be inefiective in the control of a given pest. On the other hand, if the transverse slit 5'! were changed as to position so that it bisected the passage 54, rather than be located at the juncture between passage 53 and 54, the let 5| would not be sealed in the sense of creating the proper suction, and the amount of entrained pest control material would be materially reduced. If the transverse. slit 5! is located too far toward the outlet end of the jet, no suction at all would be created and no pest control material would be entrained in the carrier liquid. Moreover, if the slit 51 were to be made too wide, there would beno vacuum and no pest control material likewise, would be entrained. Preferably, the slit 51 is cut to approximately .0400 of an inch.

Another critical feature of the construction of the metering jet 5| resides in the chamfering of the mouth of the inlet passage 52. Ihave found that at high water pressures a relatively high turbulence is created around the mouth of the inlet orifice if the mouth is not chamfered, such turbulence materiallyafiecting the flow of water into and through the jet and clearlx throwing the proportions of carrier liquid and pest control material out of balance. Chamfering of the mouth of the inlet orifice t0 passage 52 also affords the flow of a smooth, straight solid stream of water from the discharge tube 29 into the jet, which smooth solid stream is maintained through the central passage 53 to completely fill the same and thereby insure constant proportions between the carrier liquid and the pest control material under all pressures of the carrier liquid.

As particularly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing, the metering jet 5| is fixedly located within a greatly enlarged portion 30' of the bore 30 of the gun barrel at its outlet end. Preferably, the inlet end of the metering jet 5| is rounded to provide, in effect, a ball seat 53 for the jet within the bore thus .preventing air or water leakage past the jet at the point between the jet and the inner wall of the bore. The outlet end of the metering jet preferably is formed with an extending reduced portion or boss GI thereon affording a seat for a mass 62 of malleable material, such as soft lead, which-is disposed and tamped into position around the boss, after pressingthe metering jet into position within the enlarged bore 30'. As shown, the mass 52 of malleable material fills the space between the metering jet 5| and the interior wall of the enlarged bore 30' and thus the jet 5| is sealed into position .so that water can not pass'around the same. The gun barrel is cast with an enlarged discharge end .to accommodate the enlarged bore 30. In forming the bore 42, the end of the'gunbarrel necessarily must be pierced but. it is conveniently closed with a sealing plug 66, as shown.

To the end that uniform, unobstructed flow of pest control material be established between the jar II and the metering jet 5|, the outlet end of material discharging bore 42 is provided with a relatively wide side'outlet 61 which registers with the enlarged side inlet 58 of the metering jet which, in turn, merges with the transverse slit 5'! of the jet. Since the water discharging bore 30 and the material discharging bore 42 are both formed in a single gun barrel casting, in forming the wide side outlet 61 for the material discharging bore 42 it is found expedient to pierce the opposite side of. the gun barrel thus forming a hole which conveniently is closed with a sealing screw-plug 68, as shown.

In accordance with my invention, an adjustable spray or nozzle deflector 69 is provided in the outlet of the gun and is so formed as to break up the projected mixture into a finely divided spray. To this end, the outer extremity of the deflector 59 is turned to a smooth curved surface ll of short radius, as. shown, so that a finely divided spray is formed when the mixture leaving the jet 5| impinges on the curved surface H of the deflector. In conjunction with the deflector 69, I conveniently provide a lock-nut 12 which, as shown, is detachably mounted in the enlarged bore 30' by threaded engagement therewith. The lock-nut I2 is preferably provided with a knurled head-13 to facilitate turning thereof by the 'fingers. The inner end of the lock-nut I2, when the nut is tightened to its fullest extent, bears upon an out-turned flange l4, conveniently formed on the inner end of the deflector 69. It is clear that the deflector can be adjusted to'any desired position for the spraying of plants or foliage and the adjustment of the same is a relatively simple matter. For example, it is only necessagr first to loosen the lock-nut 12 by grasping the knurled head thereof and turningfthen twisting or turning the deflector 69 so that its curved surface is directed as desired, andthen the lock-nut tightened again so that its inner end bears against the flange 14 of the deflector. With the surface 14 of the deflector disposed in the position indicated in Figure 1 of the drawing, the under side of plant leaves and foliage may be'eifectively sprayed. If the surface H is turned through and locked in that position, the spraying proportioner may be employed to spray downwardly upon foliage. If a straight, solid stream is desired to be projected the deflector 69 as well as the lock-nut 12 can be removed from the device. With these parts removed, a straight, solid full stream of a predetermined, constant proportionate mixture of a carrier liquid and a pest control material may be turned upwardly to reach appreciable heights for the treatment of trees and high foliage.

It is to be understood that the appended claims are to be accorded a range of equivalents commensurate in scope with the advance made over the prior art.

I claim:

Aspraying proportioner comprising, in combination with a container adapted to hold a quantity of liquid pest control material, a container head removably mounted on said container and consisting of a cap having a vent therein, a gun barrel integral with said cap; said barrel having a bore therein for the passage of a carrier liquid and terminating in an enlarged bore portion adjacent its discharge end, a valve controlling flow of carrier liquid through said bore, a metering jet disposed in said enlarged bore portion of said gun barrel; said metering jet consisting of a unitary structure having a series of aligned communicating passages of circular cross-section extending therethrough as well as a side inlet, said passages including in series a relatively short inlet passage, a relatively long central passage of smaller diameter than said inlet passage, a short passage of greater diameter than said cen-' tral passage, and an outlet passage of greater diameter than that last mentioned short passage, means establishing communication between the interior of said container and the side inlet of said metering jet; said means including a slit in said jet extending transversely thereof between said central and sealing passages.

' JAMES W. R. STEWART. 

